Air-cooled internal-combustion engine.



0. E. MICHAUD. MR COOLED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

f APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1916. 1,263,337.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

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O. E. MICHAUD. AIR COOLED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24,1916. 7 1,263,337. Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

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zr/llllljwlmlll/llll/lllllxllillillll/llll/x llllll a s'r-Ans ONESIMEMICI-IAUD, OF ST. LOUIS, 'MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 FRITZ VMULLER, OF M'OGEHEE, ARKANSAS.

AIR-CGOLED INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed June 24, 1916. Serial N 0. 105,590.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ONESIME E. MICHAUD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of 'St. Louis and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Air-Cooled Internal-CombustionEngines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tour stroke eycle explosion engines havingmechanically operated valves, and particularly concerns the valves,valve operating means, and the means for circulating air for cooling thevalves and cylinders.

The objects of the invention "are simplicity and strength ofconstruction, light weight, accessibility of operating parts, large areaof valves and ports, and positive air circulation and cooling wherebylittle attention is required to operate the engine and keep it in goodorder.

The invention consists in the arrangement of the valves in chambersalongside of the cylinders and in the means for operating them withoutcams orrocker arms or other device's subject to 'derangementby expansiondue to heat; also in meansfor supplying lubricant to the valves and forkeeping the valves easy running and gas tight; also in the concentricinlet and "exhaust valve arrangement, whereby the hot exhaust gases areinsulated from the moving surfaces of the valve; also in the doubleported exhaust valves for diminishing the heat of the .exhaust gasesdischarged from the head end of the cylinder; also in the arrangement offan and heat radiating fins for cooling the valves and cylinders; andalso in the details of construction of the several parts as hereinafterdescribed and set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same figures designate like parts in theseveral views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an engine embodying the invention, theoutside casing being removed from the fan and cylinders;

Fig. 2 is a part side elevation, and part longitudinal vertical sectionon the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 of the same;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same looking at the left-hand end in Fig.1, the cover for the timing gears being removed, and the outside casingaround the cylinders being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the same on the linel1 in Fig. '2;and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-section of :a portion of the right-hand endof the engine shown in Fig. 1, on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2.

The engine shown in the drawings 'comprises four vertical cylinders 11cast in pairs and arranged in a row. on the upper half 12 of the crankcase. The crank-shalt 18 is horizontally disposed in bearings 14 in thelower side of the upper half 12 of the crank case, and is inclo'sed onthe under side by the lower half 15 of the crank case.

The pistons 16 are connected to the cranks of the crank shaft by meansof the connecting rods 17.

The inlet valves and exhaust valves are combined in double walled hollowcylinders 18 which are vertically disposed in a row one alongside ofeach of thelengine cylinders, and which taper on the exterior from topto bottom to lit in correspondingly tapered chambers 19 formed inenlargements of the side walls of the cylinders. The inlet valve portionsurrounds the exhaust va lve portion, and consists of a port 20 in theouter wall of the valve which regi'sters with a valve port 21 in theside wall of the cylinder near its upper end. The port 20 communicateswith the annular space between the .double Walls of the valve 18; and asecond port 22 in the outer wall of the valve'18'near its lower endopens into the intake passage 28 in the side of the cylinder casting.

The exhaust valve is the inner portion of the valve 18, and communicateswith the valve port 21 in the top of the cylinder by means of a passage24 through the annular space occupied by the inlet valve alongside ofthe port 20. The lower end of the valve 18 has a port '25 in its sidewall communieating with the exhaust space and registering with anexhaust port 26 in the lower end of the side wall of the cylinder. The

lower end of the valve 18 is open to the exhaust space, and leads to theexhaust passage 27 in the side of the cylinder casting.

There is one combined inlet and exhaust valve 18 for each of the fourcylinders, and

the four valves are arranged in two set of two in each set. The upperends of the valves 18 project out of the valve chambers and are providedwith gears 28. Between each two valves of the forward and rear pairs ofcylinders there is arranged a vertical valve operating shaft 29 carryinga gear 30 on its upper end which meshes with the gears 28 of theadjacent valves. The gears 28 have twice a many teeth as the gears 30,causing the valves to be rotated at one-half the speed of the verticalshafts 29. The vertical shafts 29 are rotated by miter gears 32 from aside shaft 31 which is parallel to the crank shaft and which is drivenfrom the crank shaft by a train of gears 33. The side shaft 31 andvertical shafts 29 are driven at the same speed as the crank shaft.

The valves 18 are secured in place in the valve recesses by means ofseparate levers 34: which are arranged over the upper ends of the valvesand are pivoted to brackets 35 bolted to the tops of the cylinders. Thefree ends of the valve holding levers 34 are held down by spiral springs36. By unhooking the spring 36 from the end of its valve lever, thevalve lever may be swung up away from its valve, and the valve removedfor inspection.

The cylinders and valve chambers are provided with vertically disposedribs 37, and are inclosed in a sheet metal casing'38 which extends downoutside of the crank case and fit around the fan housing 39 below thecrank case. The fan l0 is mounted upon a stud 41 below the crank case,and rotated from the side shaft 31 by means of a vertical shaft 42 andsuitable gears. Miter gears 43 are shown for connecting the verticalshaft with the side shaft, and a spur gear 44 for connecting it with agear 45 on the hub of the fan. The fan causes air to flow in a constantstream-between the ribs 37 on the cylinders and valve chambers forcooling them.

By the arrangement of the inlet passages in the valves surrounding theexhaust passages, the cool incoming charge tends to @cgaies er thispatent may be obtained for cool the valve 18 and thereby help tomaintain its fit in the tapered valve chambers. The valve springs 36 areon the outside of the cylinders away from the heated cylinder walls andvalve passages where they can be kept at the proper tension. Theconcentric arrangement of inlet and exhaust valve passages enables asingle moving valve to control both the admission and exhaust of gas toand from each cylinder, and cuts the chances of leakage past the valvesin two.

The invention is not restricted to the particular details ofconstruction shown ant described. I claim the following as myinvention: 1. An air-cooled explosion engine having a horizontal crankshaft housed in a crank case, a plurality of vertical cylinders withvalve chambers extending vertically alongside of them arranged abovesaid crank case, vertical radiation fins on the side walls of thecylinders and valve chambers, a fan horizontally disposed beneath saidcrank case, a casing inclosing said cylinders and fins, said casingextending down around said crank case and fan, and means for retatingsaid fan from said crank shaft, said means comprising a vertical shaftupon which said fan is mounted, and a driving connection comprisingangle gearing between said vertical shaft and crank shaft.

2. An air-cooled explosion engine having a plurality of verticalcylinders with valve chambers, vertical radiation fins on the side wallsof the cylinders and valve chambers, a fan horizontally disposed beneathsaid cylinders, acasing inclosing said cylinders and fins, said casingextending down around said fan, and means for rotating said fan fromsaid crankshaft, said means comprising a vertical fan shaft, a sideshaft connected to drive said vertical shaft, and angle gearingconnecting said crank shaft and side shaft.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 22d day of June, 1916.

ONESIME E. MICHAUD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

